Are the Weatherby Magnums worth the extra money?

spy231

New member
Ok guys. Now that I got my reloading kit I am not limited to standard calibers and can reload some odd calibers for less than I could buy factory ammo for. Around tax time I will be looking for a new rifle. I am very interested in the .224 and .240 Weatherby Magnums. Is this interest I have stupid b/c I can get a really close caliber (22-250,.223, .243 ect) and get brass for 1/2 the price or better.
I dont know why I like them. Maybe b/c I could go to the range a 100 times and never see one.
Any thoughts?
 
I don't know much about the .224, but my dad has a .240 and he loves it.

I am a big fan of Weatherby rifles. They are very well made....and have a unique history. Many will say they are overpriced.....but I don't think so.
 
IMHO weatherby was an ego maniac who had to outdo the jones'......
weatherby mags dont kill something any deader than a 270, 30-06 or 300 win mag.
for what you'll have in a new rifle and reloading dies, you might be able to go on an extra fishing trip or hunting trip.
just my 2 cents.
 
Quote:
Only in your mind.



That's what makes them worth it. I have always wanted a .257 Weatherby and just got one. You can't beat the cool factor, even if it is only in your mind.
 
thats why its called an opinion (IMHO).......

give me a second, i gotta run and go re-kill the 4 deer in the den (all 150+ Ohio bruisers) that arent quite dead from my 200 dollar mossy 500 /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
There are a few Weatherby calibers that truly perform, but as for the rifles you can do much better for the same money. Vanguard excluded which is a Howa.
I go on the theory of spending my money on the best rifle I can afford then pick a performing time tested caliber. There are several with inherent accuracy that are very affordable to shoot.
I have had several handloaders tell me that they can load hotter loads than factory Weatherby stuff. Sounds like trouble at the range.
 
After many years, majors such as Remington and Winchester have somewhat caught up with the Weatherby's but they still have a couple rounds that aren't duplicated. The .416 and .460 are pretty much in a class by themselves but then they aren't predator rounds in the sense this forum considers predators. Don
 
A few of the Weatherby chambers are worthwhile, but not in any of the Weatherby rifles. You will have to spring for a custom barrel chambered without the freebore.

Jack
 
I worked with a 224 for a while, bastard size case head, neat little rifle. The ballistics were between a 223 and 22/250, and brass cost was unreal.

The 244 (6mm Rem) Ackley improved will at least equal the 240 with regular Rem or Win brass.

Roy Weathery's favorite cartridge was the 257 Wea. I had a friend that killed 6 Bull Elk with it before he found out it was not considered an elk rifle...go figure.

A 257 Weatherby with zero freebore is an amazing long range yote, chuck, deer, and antelope rifle with the 100's getting 3800 fps with amazing accuracy out of a 26" barrel using reformed Winchester 7 Mag brass. 400 yards is a chip shot for the 257 Weatherby with zero freebore or very little freebore.
 
Quote:
thats why its called an opinion (IMHO).......

give me a second, i gotta run and go re-kill the 4 deer in the den (all 150+ Ohio bruisers) that arent quite dead from my 200 dollar mossy 500 /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif



Well, it wouldn't do you any good to have a WBY Mag over there in OH-10. I know I always have to leave mine at home when I head across the river to hunt. A good chance to use the smokepole though.


Someone else said something about a few of the Weatherby calibers are in a clss by themselves. Do a little research on the .30-378. You may want to add that one to your list. All that speed.....and all that knockdown.....with sub-moa groups.

Also, I wouldn't trade my .257 for anything. I think one would be hard-pressed to find a better whitetail caliber.

Again....just my opinion.
 
IMHO, some of the cartridges are ok, the rifles like the Mark V have way more problems than solutions, free bore being just one of them.
I have a Jack O'Conner book that states contrary to popular beleif roy W, did not design the rounded shoulder, He bought it from some guys: It was (if memory serves) the "Powell/Milton freebore??? or Venturi freebore?/ system"

My Brothers 30-378 was not a Weatherby cartridge, I dont think, it did not have the radius shoulder, or does the 30-378 have a rounded shoulder???
Doccoyote, freebore means the bullet has to "jump" from the end of the cartridge case until it engages the riflings. The longer the freebore the further the "jump"
CD
 
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Doccoyote, freebore means the bullet has to "jump" from the end of the cartridge case until it engages the riflings. The longer the freebore the further the "jump"
CD



Right. But what's the advantage of not having one, I thought it was a way decreasing pressures. Not having one must be better, but I don't understand why.
 
I have 2 weatherbys, a .240 and a .300mag. They are really cool guns.

Vey flat shooting which is great for game hunting, anything from 50-300 yds I can use the same point of aim and kill it without compensating or adjusting.

There are other more accurate rifles out there and can be had for cheaper but there are not many guns as cool as this!

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=6uepagg&s=1
One word of advice.... ear plugs!
 
Absolutely not.

A .222 mag will do anything a .224 Weatherby will do and you don't have to pay a dollar per case. They are also as accurate as you could ever wish for. A .223 is a better choice than either of them. The .223 is plenty accurate and components are easy to get.

The .240 Weatherby is an even worse choice. It requires a full length action and while they can be light, will never be as handy as a samll .223 such as a CZ, older Sako, or evan a Model 7. Brass is ridiculously expensive and resale potential will be low because nobody wants one. If you want the ballistics, get a 6mm/284 or 6mm/06. The ballistics are identical. I have a supply of .240 brass and a .30-06 on a Sako action which I bought to rebarrel to .240 Weatherby, which I have had for almost two years. I have yet to convince myself that it is worth the effort.
 
If you know anything about Roy Weatherby, you know he was a salesman first. He realized early that if you have a case that is over bored, it will have a higher velocity than a non magnum case. He ran with that basic fact and promoted his cartridges with fantastic claims. He gave his rifles away to nationally known celebrities and always was posing with these people and their new rifles. This was shortly after WWII and the American public was eager to hunt and was easily swayed by his advertising. I said all this to say, yes, his cartridges are faster than most standard factory rounds because of the amount of powder they burn and over bored cartridges erode the throat area of a barrel faster than a slower round. An example would be his 257 Whby against a 25-06. The 25-06 is very flat shooting and just about over bored, but the 257 Whby IS over bored and slightly faster. So Weatherby cartridges are worth the extra money if you are willing to give up substantial barrel life, pay more the the brass cases and buy more powder to burn at the end of the muzzle. With today's cartridges and powders, you can get any caliber to do just about anything you ask within reason. His big claim was velocity kills and other writers claimed bullet placement kills. I didn't even mention the effect his cartridges had on making a lot of good shooters into flinchers because of the blast and recoil. Then there was the Weatherby Award which was a status symbol/snob appeal to further promote his rifles and calibers and so on..........
 
I have a custom Encore barrel by OTT (On Target Technology), it is a full bull 1 in barrel that is 29.5" in length. It is very accurate and an excellant long range shooter. The bullets it likes are the Nosler BT in 85gr and 100gr for varmint hunting. It also likes the 110gr accubonds for whitetail. I have it topped with a 6.5-20x50 Ziess Conquest.

I use it when I am hunting large clearcuts and open land, If I can see it I feel comfident that I can hit it. It makes for an increadable combination.
 
Quote:
I have a custom Encore barrel by OTT (On Target Technology), it is a full bull 1 in barrel that is 29.5" in length. It is very accurate and an excellant long range shooter. The bullets it likes are the Nosler BT in 85gr and 100gr for varmint hunting. It also likes the 110gr accubonds for whitetail. I have it topped with a 6.5-20x50 Ziess Conquest.

I use it when I am hunting large clearcuts and open land, If I can see it I feel comfident that I can hit it. It makes for an increadable combination.




What caliber is it??? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif
 
A poster said that there were problems with the Weatherby MK5 guns.

I'm curious what those problems are. I have no knowledge relating to that gun, I'm just curious as I had always heard that they were very strong actions.

Weatherby used to say that they would put a heavy slug in the bore of a .300 and fire a round behind it and the gun survived. Just what they claimed. Don
 


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